A referendum on the Maastricht Treaty for the founding of the European Union was held in France on 20 September 1992.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p674 It was approved by 51% of the voters. The result of the referendum, known as the "petit oui", along with the Danish "No" vote (50,7%) are considered to be signals of a transition of public opinion on European integration, away from the "permissive consensus" which had existed in most member states until then. From this point forward issues relating to European integration were subject to more intensive discussions across much of Europe, and later overt euroscepticism gained prominence.Harmsen, Robert and Menno Spiering, eds. Euroscepticism: Party Politics, National Identity and European Integration. Amsterdam: Radopi B.V., 2004. p. 25. Only France, Ireland and Denmark held referendums on the Maastricht Treaty ratification.

Parties' stances The center-left Socialist party (PS), then in power, as well as the center-right Union for French Democracy (UDF) campaigned in favor of the treaty. Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris and leader of the Gaullist RPR party, also took a pro-European stance, partly in the hopes to boost his chances for the next Presidential election.

On the other side, the Euroskeptic faction of the Rally for the Republic (RPR), dissented from its leader and heralded the "no" vote. Communists also opposed what they considered as an advance of neo-liberalism. Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National was also strongly opposed to any integration.

The Trotskyites from Lutte Ouvrière called for an abstention.

Support: Socialist party (PS) Union for French Democracy (UDF) Opponents: left-wing: Jean-Pierre Chevènement French Communist Party (PCF) Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) right-wing: major figures in the Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) including Philippe Séguin and Charles Pasqua (but not leader Jacques Chirac, and the then-lesser known Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon)

Philippe de Villiers National Front Abstain: Workers' Struggle (LO) (Arlette Laguiller was quoted as saying "A 'no' vote is a vote for Le Pen")

Those who opposed the ratification also included demographer Emmanuel Todd, on the basis of his work on European anthropology, arguing that differences between cultures would be too strong for a common currency to work.

Campaign

The introduction of a common currency was the most debated aspect of the campaign. The three major right-wing figures campaigning against it, Philippe Séguin, Charles Pasqua and Philippe de Villiers, often named souverainists, were arguing that it would be a blow to French monetary independence, and political sovereignty as a whole. Séguin and de Villiers were coming from the top school for senior civil service, the ÉNA, just like left-wing dissenter Jean-Pierre Chevènement.

The sovereignist campaign gained an unexpected momentum, beating the 'yes' vote in some polls.

Philippe Séguin and President François Mitterrand famously faced off in a passionate but nevertheless respectful television debate, also remembered for the fact that Mitterrand was in the midst of a cancer treatment, something hidden from the public at the time.

Results

By department DepartmentForAgainstElectorateVotesValidInvalidParis 461,435276,6841,104,904752,945738,11914,826Seine-et-Marne215,408225,813639,006452,808441,22111,587Yvelines 321,932239,186784,033573,159561,11812,041Essonne248,708207,831646,038468,088456,53911,549Hauts-de-Seine305,862233,911786,433551,610539,77311,837Seine-Saint-Denis 195,190232,288668,049438,695427,47811,217Val-de Marne232,655221,938669,725465,636454,59311,043Val-de Oise205,522193,243578,196408,431398,7659,666Ardennes 63,22164,825190,636132,190128,0464,144Aube57,00972,340187,946133,700129,3494,351Marne117,001111,766354,255235,534228,7676,767Haute-Marne46,96851,310145,827101,89098,2783,612Aisne112,218146,948366,176267,327259,1668,161Oise147,359185,988460,412342,826333,3479,479Somme114,959165,007382,372289,143279,9669,177Eure105,984139,016340,222252,271245,0007,271Seine-Maritime255,606304,597804,903579,069560,20318,866Cher 66,32787,160224,543159,793153,4876,306Eure-et-Loir 84,982101,161260,179192,238186,1436,095Indre55,31869,968178,558131,592125,2866,306Indre-et-Loire118,876127,497352,403255,339246,3738,966Loir-et-Cher 71,87986,902219,506165,362158,7816,581Loiret 127,627141,132372,594278,387268,7599,628Calvados 146,454146,938420,624301,987293,3928,595Manche114,956125,606340,972248,699240,5628,137Orne72,44577,249209,401155,201149,6945,507Côte-d'Or 104,510110,492313,432221,372215,0026,370Nièvre58,52460,671173,634123,760119,1954,565Saône-et-Loire128,134124,614391,991264,890252,74812,142Yonne70,52484,992221,876160,563155,5165,047Nord 519,195613,9491,640,5631,175,4121,133,14442,268Pas-de-Calais 296,221411,838998,937737,659708,05929,600Meurthe-et-Moselle167,761138,331463,533315,383306,0929,291Meuse50,98344,940139,52999,34195,9233,418Moselle254,719191,014679,500460,121445,73314,388Vosges 90,45097,799274,683196,843188,2498,594Bas-Rhin 290,786133,148624,637437,305423,93413,371Haut-Rhin 186,958117,603443,172314,621304,56110,060Doubs 115,991102,579311,004225,642218,5707,072Jura 63,24258,483173,072126,614121,7254,889Haute-Saône53,46963,796166,854122,218117,2654,953Territoire de Belfort 26,96631,39185,55260,61558,3572,258Loire-Atlantique281,704214,036725,314513,628495,74017,888Maine-et-Loire182,420144,934472,178343,259327,35415,905Mayenne74,13866,651200,733148,817140,7898,028Sarthe122,176126,247367,876260,195248,42311,772Vendée133,497135,099377,547282,340268,59613,744Côtes-d'Armor 176,140116,467414,780304,556292,60711,949Finistère254,910173,951615,753442,893428,86114,032Ille-et-Vilaine237,588140,987552,921394,185378,57515,610Morbihan 179,253137,045453,406329,455316,29813,157Charente85,71485,698249,912178,676171,4127,264Charente Maritime125,376133,445381,953267,897258,8219,076Deux-Sèvres 92,78081,924253,269183,983174,7049,279Vienne94,98794,561271,606198,334189,5488,786Dordogne94,168124,708301,258228,258218,8769,382Gironde270,255280,025782,205565,450550,28015,170Landes 89,76378,226237,683174,798167,9896,809Lot-et-Garonne73,67384,910222,311165,231158,5836,648Pyrénées-Atlantiques 153,841134,141419,228298,343287,98210,361Ariège37,05736,583107,13176,64973,6403,009Aveyron 82,59464,738212,082156,762147,3329,430Haute-Garonne227,375195,238609,195437,702422,61315,089Gers 47,85748,630136,741100,93196,4874,444Lot 46,30941,780122,19792,55488,0894,465Hautes-Pyrénées 60,65157,431171,127122,529118,0824,447Tarn 87,31991,835253,595189,039179,1549,885Tarn-et-Garonne47,49059,056147,460111,219106,5464,673Corrèze59,89370,930183,878136,655130,8235,832Creuse30,27239,606107,93073,21369,8783,335Haute-Vienne87,87993,437259,854191,315181,3169,999Ain 108,76989,417293,087205,091198,1866,905Ardèche71,62268,900205,086146,872140,5226,350Drôme95,20996,973280,400199,622192,1827,440Isère237,376189,228632,403440,404426,60413,800Loire159,246145,757474,077318,052305,00313,049Rhône325,360256,619859,959598,577581,97916,598Savoie85,50371,910236,577162,260157,4134,847Haute-Savoie138,902104,586353,759250,223243,4886,735Allier 77,92998,200261,895184,234176,1298,105Cantal 37,63244,369125,25385,45382,0013,452Haute-Loire56,45449,042157,437112,172105,4966,676Puy-de-Dôme141,917130,477402,955284,781272,39412,387Aude72,41883,233220,278160,959155,6515,308Gard 124,902153,751398,507287,721278,6539,068Hérault 174,771195,013535,358380,512369,78410,728Lozère21,49518,08256,78241,40039,5771,823Pyrénées-Orientales 77,68394,071259,333176,935171,7545,181Alpes-de Haute-Provence33,71835,95699,50672,36069,6742,686Haute Alpes 30,62226,21184,35459,16656,8332,333Alpes-Maritimes 192,495229,531655,429430,516422,0268,490Bouches-du-Rôhne320,831397,3871,072,354735,772718,21817,554Var 161,893219,722560,396390,252381,6158,637Vaucluse94,871124,907309,337226,725219,7786,947Corse-du-Sud 16,82521,56871,01139,18338,393790Haute-Corse19,92526,39786,18547,46946,3221,147Guadeloupe21,63010,435225,41637,55632,0655,491Martinique30,70911,865227,01355,47142,57412,897French Guiana3,9011,89033,9286,3685,791577Réunion 61,60921,380322,46688,48282,9895,493Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2151204,19740233567Mayotte1,17336228,2461,6181,53583Wallis and Futuna 2,9248967,0583,8393,82019French Polynesia14,8796,252106,72422,59421,1311,463New Caledonia14,78314,96692,61931,24729,7491,498Source: European Election Database

References